Elon Musk's latest tweet about the Hyperloop has city governments perplexed (TSLA)

Elon Musk made a surprise announcement Thursday saying that his latest venture, The Boring Company, has received "verbal governmental approval" to build a Hyperloop between New York and Washington DC with stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Some city representatives, however, say no such talks have occurred.

"Nobody in City Hall, or any of our city agencies, has heard from Mr. Musk or any representatives of his company," Ben Sarle, deputy press secretary for the New York's mayor office, told Business Insider.

"Elon Musk has had no contact with Philadelphia officials on this matter," Mike Dunn, dWe do not what he means when he says he received 'verbal government approval.' There are numerous hurdles for this unproven 'hyperloop' technology before it can become reality."

That leaves us with the million dollar question: Who gave Musk the green light?

The Department of Transportation referred Business Insider to a White House spokesperson, who sent the following statement:

"We have had promising conversations to date, are committed to transformative infrastructure projects, and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector."

Musk visited the White House on three separate occasions this year when he sat on President Donald Trump's economic advisory board and Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. He left both advisory councils after the US withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement in June.

"The Boring Company has had a number of promising conversations with local, state and federal government officials," a Boring Company spokesperson told Business Insider. "With a few exceptions, feedback has been very positive and we have received verbal support from key government decision-makers for tunneling plans, including a Hyperloop route from New York to Washington DC."

The Boring Company

Musk said

Musk said the Hyperloop could shuttle people between New York and Washington DC in 29 minutes.

Musk is in talks with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti about building a tunnel between Los Angeles International Airport and Union Station. He's also in "preliminary" talks with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel about digging a tunnel that would connect downtown Chicago with O'Hare International Airport.

Either way, Musk's Boring Company will need more than a nod to build massive tunnels underneath major cities. The Boring Company will need to secure city and state permits for such projects to commence.

Elon Musk's latest tweet about the Hyperloop has city governments perplexed (TSLA)

The Boring Company

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!